Mayor Paul Schell told an audience of Seattle library boosters September 9 that that the city council fully supports his $196-million bond measure to upgrade the city's public library. About 75 library supporters gathered in front of the aging Beacon Hill Library at a kickoff rally for the mayor's Neighbors for Libraries campaign, according to the September 10 Seattle Times.
City Council President Sue Donaldson echoed the mayor's statement, saying, "The council is 100 percent behind this." It was not good news for backers of an alternative proposal, called Initiative 45, who had obtained enough signatures by the first week of September to qualify for the November 3 ballot. This $160-million plan calls for a smaller downtown library.
Donaldson contends that some of the people who signed the petition thought they were supporting the mayor's plan. The city has until October 8 to accept, reject, or put Initiative 45 off until next year.
Posted September 14, 1998.